The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 174

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Omake: Episode 5
“They listen, and then they dismiss everything by saying it’s not a problem. If that’s the case, why ask for our opinion in the first place?”
“Exactly. This is nothing short of tyranny!”
Though they kept their voices low, mindful that they were in the Imperial Palace, Ruda heard every word clearly.
‘How dare they insult Lionel!’
Ruda, bold as brass, committed the faces of those two nobles gossiping about the Emperor in the Imperial Palace to memory. She planned to report everything to Cecilia that evening.
Ruda’s reconnaissance didn’t end there. Seeking out narrow spaces where people rarely ventured, she darted about the palace searching for anyone cursing the Emperor or scheming some treachery—until she concluded that patrolling this vast Imperial Palace alone was hopelessly inefficient.
So she went to find her colleague.
Namely, Kreung.
“Squeak!”
Once Kreung’s true identity as a giant wolf was revealed, his new quarters resembled a stable, yet it had grown far too grand and luxurious to bear that name.
Consequently, the enormous wolf’s bed—made plush with straw, cotton, and wool—was so massive that a dozen adult men could lie upon it comfortably.
In truth, a beast like a wolf hardly needed such a soft nest. But after several years living in the comfort of the Imperial Palace, basking in the Emperor’s favor and abundance, this giant wolf had become unable to sleep anywhere else.
Even his daily routine had grown lazy.
“Squeak, chirp!”
Wake up!
Though Ruda herself had overslept, she’d completely forgotten that fact as she bounced on Kreung’s head, wondering how he could still be sleeping at this hour.
But bouncing on his head was like a dandelion seed landing on him—it didn’t tickle in the slightest.
“Squeak, chirp chirp chirp! Squeak!”
“Kreung……”
But this noise was quite loud enough to force Kreung’s eyes open.
“Grrrr……”
The giant wolf stretched his long snout wide in a great yawn, then turned to Ruda, who’d descended before his eyes, to lodge a complaint.
“Gruong. Kreung.”
A month ago. Mages exploring beyond the North Mountain Range discovered a gargoyle nest near a peak.
It was too close to the Frost Border Baekryeong to ignore, and these creatures had wings.
If left unchecked, there was no knowing when the gargoyles might cross the mountains and raid the borderland. So the Frost Border Baekryeong formulated a plan to exterminate the nest and sought the Emperor’s permission, which he granted along with reinforcements. Kreung led the vanguard of that force.
Four legs meeting earth—a wolf—versus winged wyverns. By all rights, it should have been hopelessly one-sided, but Kreung had allies: mages who could punch holes in the wyverns’ wings.
Once the mages shot the wyverns down and they lost their flight, they were easy prey.
And so Kreung had fought gloriously in the North Mountain Range, and the wyvern nest eradication was completed in a week.
Though he’d been restless in the peaceful capital, too fidgety to bear it, after one trip north he’d become a lazy creature, insisting he was exhausted and demanding to be left alone. So Ruda assigned him a special mission.
“Squeak, chirp chirp!”
None other than: Imperial Palace patrol!
“Kreung……”
But Kreung was unenthusiastic.
What danger could exist in this peaceful palace devoid of monsters, that such a fierce and valiant beast should patrol it?
“Squeak, chirp chirp!”
But Ruda was relentless, and Kreung had no choice but to rise. The hierarchy established years ago made it possible.
“Squeak, chirp chirp!”
Let’s go!
Following Ruda’s command from atop his head, Kreung left his quarters and went outside.
“Grrrrr……”
Though he’d been forced out, at least the weather was fine. Kreung yawned widely and wandered along without any particular destination in mind.
“My, Sir Kreung. Taking a stroll?”
“Kreung.”
“I was worried you might be injured, since you’ve been cooped up in your quarters, but you look in good health.”
“Kreung!”
After beginning to serve as reinforcements for monster subjugation operations, Kreung was appointed as an Imperial Knight by Lionel.
Though it was technically an honorary title, those who knew firsthand of Kreung’s exploits in facing monsters at the forefront of every operation consistently addressed him with the honorific “Sir,” showing him proper respect.
But truthfully, the reason people had stopped fearing the giant wolf Kreung by his mere presence was something else entirely.
“Oh, Sir Kreung! Taking a stroll—no, a patrol!”
“Squeak, chirp!”
“Lady Ruda is with you as well. Would you care for some treats?”
“Chirp!”
“The two of you seem close as always today. Is it true that Spirit Familiars understand each other?”
That was it. Most people were under a misunderstanding. Just as Ruda was Cecilia’s Spirit Familiar, Kreung was also believed to be Lionel’s Spirit Familiar.
Of course, some people harbored doubts. Lionel had learned nearly everything except magic, so how could he—of all people—have successfully created a Spirit Familiar, something even accomplished mages rarely managed?
Yet on the other hand, he was Lionel.
If he was the one who’d caused so many teachers to declare “there is nothing left to teach you,” then couldn’t he reach the heights of Spirit Familiar creation with only a few years of magical study?
Especially when his wife was Cecilia, who had overturned the entire Magic Tower with her Spirit Familiar thesis.
“Ah, Sir Kreung! At your service!”
“Kreung.”
“Squeak!”
“No suspicious individuals detected. You may pass safely.”
“Kreung.”
Since Kreung was known to be Lionel’s Spirit Familiar, it was only natural that people would tense up as though the Emperor himself was touring whenever Kreung passed.
Ruda felt quite satisfied watching everyone from guard to noble grow tense at the sight of Kreung.
“Squeak, chirp.”
“Kreung……”
But Kreung simply yawned continuously, his long snout gaping wide. He kept it up all the way back to his quarters after the patrol ended.
“Kreung.”
Having finished his work, Kreung climbed back onto his bed and curled his body into a ball.
Ruda burrowed into the center of it, wings folded across his belly, and closed her eyes. Kreung had yawned so much that Ruda herself was growing drowsy.
And some time passed.
—…Ruda, where are you?
“Chirp!”
Cecilia’s calling me!
Ruda opened her eyes from within Kreung’s fur and sent a telepathic message to Cecilia, her wings pressed to her head.
I’m with Kreung!
—Aren’t you hungry? It’s time for dinner.
Has it gotten that late already?
Ruda immediately sent back a telepathic reply that she was coming, hastily tidied her ruffled feathers, and took to the air with a flutter.
“Squeak, chirp!”
“Kreung……”
Come on, let’s eat! It’s dinner time!
Ruda pecked at various spots on Kreung’s head.
Kreung’s ears twitched irritably and his head swayed back and forth, but eventually he opened his eyes with a long yawn and rose from his bed. Though he could have slept longer, his belly was indeed rumbling.
“Chirp! Squeak, chirp, chirp chirp chirp!”
What’s for dinner tonight?
Ruda’s anticipation was well-founded. Cecilia, Lionel, and Penelope sat gathered around a table laden with fruit and meat, welcoming Ruda and Kreung.
The twins, Diana and Darius, lying in their cribs, were there as well.
“You’re here? Hungry?”
“Goo goo!”
“Is our little princess hungry too?”
While Cecilia tended to the two infants in their cribs, Penelope gestured for Ruda and Kreung to take their places.
“Ruda, Sir Kreung. Eat well.”
“Squeak!”
“Kreung!”
Being large-bodied, Kreung could simply lower his head while standing to snap up the raw meat on the table.
And beside him, at a place made just for Ruda, Penelope set down fruit, cut into convenient bite-sized pieces, one piece at a time on a small plate.
“Pip. You should eat too.”
“Yes, Father.”
“What did I tell you to call me when we’re with family?”
“Yes, Dad.”
At last Lionel smiled warmly and placed a bite-sized piece of steak, cut to convenient size, onto Penelope’s plate.
“Eat plenty.”
A large hand gently stroked Penelope’s hair before withdrawing. She accepted the gesture naturally, and while tending to Ruda, she placed a piece of steak in her own mouth and chewed contentedly.
“Liri, please eat as well.”
“Just a moment. Come on, sweetie, just one more bite… My, she has an appetite.”
After the two infants finished eating, Lionel rose and cradled one child in each arm with practiced ease, turning his attention to burping them.
Lionel swayed rhythmically like a cradle, moving slowly through the dining room. It didn’t take long before the soft “burp” sounds came from the children’s mouths.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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